Ahead of Pope Francis’ Holy Land visit, the heads of Christian churches in the region plan to launch an international awareness campaign following a series of anti-Christian vandalism believed to have been carried out by Jewish extremists.
News of the campaign, which was announced on the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Wednesday (May 7), comes weeks before the pope’s May 25-26 visit to Israel and the West Bank.
The announcement was spurred by what the patriarchate called a “wave of fanaticism and intimidation” against local Christians and institutions.
Evangelicals have no idea how much ultra-Orthodox Jews hate Christianity. It’s only because they hang out with Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox that they delude themselves into a view that supports their ideology. If they spent five minutes unescorted by tour guides in Mea Shearim wearing a cross or any other recognizable Christian garb, they would get an instant education. I’m married to an Israeli, I’ve lived there, and I know that 1) ultra Orthodox consider themselves to be religiously obligated to fight heresy (by violence if necessary) and 2) they consider Christianity to be the ultimate heresy. I can’t even repeat to you here most of the terms by which they refer to Jesus (they won’t say his name) but I can tell you that “garbage” as quoted in this story would be among the milder.
True, although the ultra-Orthodox views on their Reform, Conservative and Modern Orthodox brethren aren’t exactly complimentary either!
[blockquote] although the ultra-Orthodox views on their Reform, Conservative and Modern Orthodox brethren aren’t exactly complimentary either! [/blockquote]
True, they literally spit on them. Which is why they’re hated in Israel. But they have a stranglehold on the government due to the need to placate them in order to maintain any parliamentary majority.
A lot of them are even hostile to the state of Israel. The argue that a true Israel must be established by God and the current state is not that.
This does not keep them from organizing into major political parties. Or from voting in large blocks as instructed by their rebbes. And given their birthrate (>6 children per family) and the birthrate of secular Israelis, they will be an increasingly important political factor in Israel.